Sports
At 17, swimmer Summer McIntosh is ready to be a breakout star at Paris Olympics
Follow our Olympics coverage in the lead-up to the Paris Games.
TORONTO — Summer McIntosh waited before making her entrance.
It was mid-May, the fourth night of the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Swimming Trials. McIntosh, who swam the first two nights, was ready to race the 400-meter individual medley, an event in which she is already, at age 17, a world-record-holder and a two-time world champion.
“Summer McIntosh!” yelled the public address announcer.
McIntosh stood underneath a replica of the Eiffel Tower at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre. She was the last swimmer to be called. McIntosh walked to Lane 5, serenaded with roars from the crowd. She adjusted her goggles, putting her hands over the lenses as she stepped onto the starting blocks.
The beep sounded, and McIntosh dove into the pool. Eight lengths. One hundred meters for each stroke: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle.
Ten seconds into the race, McIntosh had the lead. Through 100 meters, she was a body length in front. By the final 50 meters, McIntosh was the only swimmer visible on the broadcast. She was that far ahead of her competition.
The cheers crescendoed as McIntosh swam the finishing length. Her parents, Greg and Jill, stood up and waved their arms.
McIntosh broke her own world record as she touched the wall, posting a 4:24.38, almost a second and a half faster than her previous mark.
The 10 fastest women’s 400m IMs ever
| Rank | Swimmer | Nationality | Time | Year | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Summer McIntosh |
Canada |
4:24.38 |
2024 |
Canadian Olympic trials |
|
2 |
Summer McIntosh |
Canada |
4:25.87 |
2023 |
Canadian swimming trials |
|
3 |
Katinka Hosszu |
Hungary |
4:26.36 |
2016 |
Rio Olympics (final) |
|
4 |
Summer McIntosh |
Canada |
4:27.11 |
2023 |
World Aquatics championships |
|
5 |
Kaylee McKeown |
Australia |
4:28.22 |
2024 |
Australian national championships |
|
6 |
Shiwen Ye |
China |
4:28.43 |
2012 |
London Olympics |
|
7 |
Katinka Hosszu |
Hungary |
4:28.58 |
2016 |
Rio Olympics (heats) |
|
8 |
Summer McIntosh |
Canada |
4:28.61 |
2022 |
Toyota U.S. Open |
|
9 |
Summer McIntosh |
Canada |
4:29.01 |
2022 |
Commonwealth Games |
|
10 |
Katinka Hosszu |
Hungary |
4:29.33 |
2017 |
FINA world championships |
It was a crowning achievement at an Olympic Trials where, in several instances, she swam the fastest times in the world this year.
This is McIntosh’s stage. Racing in front of energetic crowds. Where she has fun and feels at ease.
“The crowd was absolutely electric,” McIntosh said of the fans during her world-record swim. “I heard all you guys during the breaststroke — it really kept me going.”
In a few weeks, McIntosh will go from swimming in front of an Eiffel Tower replica to the confines of Paris La Défense Arena, home of the swimming events for the 2024 Paris Olympics, eight kilometers from the actual Eiffel Tower.
In the “City of Lights,” the Canadian swimming sensation is ready to shine.
McIntosh has deep swimming roots. Her mom, Jill, swam for Canada at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. McIntosh followed in her mom’s footsteps, swimming competitively starting at 8 years old. Away from the pool, McIntosh drew inspiration from American stars Katie Ledecky and Michael Phelps. In her childhood room, McIntosh hung up posters of Ledecky. She named one of her cats “Mikey” in honor of Phelps. And she watched highlights of Phelps’ historic 2008 Beijing Games, where he won eight gold medals.
Swimming at the Etobicoke Swim Club, McIntosh gained national attention. At 12, McIntosh lowered a 45-year-old Canadian age-group record in the 800-meter freestyle. At 14, she beat Penny Oleksiak, Canada’s most decorated Olympian, in the 200-meter freestyle at the 2020 Canadian Olympic Trials, securing her place on Canada’s team for the Tokyo Olympics.
She didn’t win any medals in Tokyo. But success soon followed.
Two Commonwealth Games gold medals in her first appearance there. Four world championship golds combined in 2022 and 2023. World-record-holder in the 400-meter IM. All by 17 years old.
At Canada’s Olympic trials, 17-year-old Summer McIntosh set a world record in the 400-meter IM. She’ll be a medal contender in five events in Paris. (Andrew Francis Wallace / Toronto Star / Getty Images)
One major reason is McIntosh relocating to Sarasota, Fla., to train with coach Brent Arckey of the Sarasota Sharks. With COVID-19 pandemic restrictions still in Ontario, McIntosh needed a pool to swim full-time.
The Selby Aquatic Center in Sarasota, known as the “Shark Tank,” was the perfect place. Olympic-sized pool. A friendly yet competitive environment. A coach in Arckey, who has experience coaching Olympians.
It’s a regimented training program for McIntosh. Four days a week she swims twice, early morning (6:30 to 8:30 a.m) and late afternoon (3 to 5 p.m.). The wake-ups can be as early as 4:15 a.m.
Dry-land training exercises. Two hours in the pool. Repeat.
This is what it takes to be among the world’s best swimmers. Even on tough days, McIntosh relishes the preparation for Paris.
“Motivation isn’t something that you always have every single day,” McIntosh told The Athletic in November. “It comes in waves. But I always have that discipline to no matter how I feel when I wake up, I get to the pool and I try my hardest.”
The Paris Olympic swimming program opens with a seismic race. The women’s 400-meter freestyle — on July 27, the first full day of events in France — will likely feature a clash between McIntosh, Ledecky and reigning Olympic and world champion Ariarne Titmus.
The last time these three raced together was the 400-meter freestyle at last year’s world championships. Titmus swam to a world record. Ledecky finished second while McIntosh was off the podium in fourth.
WORLD RECORD! 🚨
Australia’s Ariarne Titmus clocks 3:55.38 in the women’s 400m free for the world title and Katie Ledecky grabs the silver.
📺 @peacock | #AQUAFukuoka23 pic.twitter.com/Rm7WyrbQQV
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 23, 2023
It’s from the bad races where McIntosh says she learns and grows. After a conversation with Arckey and a day off from competition, McIntosh responded with four medals the rest of the meet: two gold (200-meter butterfly and 400-meter IM) and two bronze (200-meter free and 4×100-meter medley relay).
McIntosh raced Ledecky, her idol, at the Toyota U.S. Open almost five months after the 2023 worlds, beating the American in the 400 free with a meet-record time. They met again in Orlando last February, where McIntosh ended Ledecky’s 13-year reign in the 800-meter freestyle. Ledecky, who has recorded the 29 fastest 800-meter times in history, hadn’t lost a final in the event since 2010.
At the Canadian Olympic trials, McIntosh won the 400-meter freestyle in 3:59.06. It’s the fastest 400-meter freestyle of 2024, faster than McIntosh’s world-championship run but almost four seconds slower than Titmus’ world record (3:55.38). For most of the race, McIntosh was under the world-record pace. But she was frustrated after, believing she could do better.
“I know I can go faster. I’ve got to keep pushing forward,” McIntosh said.
Arckey sees McIntosh’s 400-meter freestyle result differently. Two months out from Paris, there’s a pathway for improvement.
“You’re not going to be making wholesale changes,” Arckey told The Athletic after trials. “It’s her second fastest time ever and the fastest time in the world currently. She’s hard on her herself. Certainly some things to do better, no doubt. That’s what the good ones do.”
McIntosh trials times vs. last Olympics
| Event | McIntosh at 2024 trials | Gold at Tokyo Games | McIntosh’s time vs. Tokyo field |
|---|---|---|---|
|
200m freestyle |
1:53.69 |
1:53.50 (Ariarne Titmus) |
Silver |
|
400m freestyle |
3:59.06 |
3:56.69 (Titmus) |
Bronze |
|
200m butterfly |
2:04.33 |
2:03.86 (Zhang Yufei) |
Silver |
|
200m medley |
2:07.06 |
2:08.52 (Yui Ohashi) |
Gold |
|
400m medley |
4:24.38 |
4:32.08 (Ohashi) |
Gold |
It’s the end of the Canadian Olympic trials and McIntosh, qualified for the Olympics, is again waiting to be called to the pool deck, joining her Swimming Canada teammates. As she walks out with Arckey, who is also a coach for the Canadian national team, she has a long embrace with her mom.
Jill has been with Summer every step of her young swimming career. And the family will be in Paris watching Summer compete for her first Olympic medals.
After trials, McIntosh travels back to Sarasota to train at the Shark Tank. A couple days of rest and then back to the pool for the final eight-week push.
Arckey said that he and McIntosh will reflect on trials before sharpening the areas to improve for Paris, where the big 400-meter freestyle showdown with Ledecky and Titmus awaits, along with the four other individual events in which McIntosh qualified. After fine-tuning in Sarasota, McIntosh will travel to Normandy for a staging camp with her Swimming Canada teammates. Then the Paris Games.
McIntosh has achieved greatness at international events before. It’s time to do it in Paris, a chance for the Summer Games to be Summer’s games.
“I know I can go faster,” Summer McIntosh says of her 400-meter freestyle. McIntosh, Ariarne Titmus and Katie Ledecky have combined for the 26 fastest-ever times in the event. (Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images)
GO DEEPER
Summer McIntosh, at 17, has everyone’s attention. Now she’s after Olympic glory
(Top illustration: Daniel Goldfarb / The Athletic; photo: Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images)
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The highly anticipated 30th WNBA season tipped off Friday with three games, including the expansion Toronto Tempo’s first-ever contest.
The action continued Saturday with a full slate, including Caitlin Clark’s return after an injury-riddled sophomore season.
Clark and the Indiana Fever hosted the Dallas Wings on Saturday afternoon in a matchup featuring the four most recent No. 1 overall picks. The Wings outlasted the Fever 107-104, but the game was defined by Azzi Fudd’s — the most recent top pick — underwhelming debut.
Dallas Wings guards Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers react during the first half of the Fever’s season opener at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on May 9, 2026. (Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Fudd played 18 minutes off the bench, scoring three points — the lowest ever by a No. 1 overall pick in a WNBA debut.
Wings coach Jose Fernandez addressed Fudd’s performance after the game, encouraging the rookie to, “Keep doing what she’s doing, it’s her first year in the league. We got five really talented backcourt players.”
EX-WNBA STAR CRITICAL OF SKY ROOKIE HAILEY VAN LITH, BELIEVES POPULARITY PLAYED ROLE IN DRAFT SELECTION
In addition to Fudd, Dallas’ backcourt features last year’s top draft pick Paige Bueckers, last season’s No. 12 overall pick Aziaha James, four-time All-Star Arike Ogunbowale and starting guard Odyssey Sims.
Until Saturday, Kelsey Plum held the record for the lowest-scoring debut by a No. 1 pick. Selected first overall by the then-San Antonio Stars in 2017, she scored just four points in her debut. The Stars relocated to Las Vegas in 2018 and was subsequently rebranded as the Aces.
Dallas Wings guard Azzi Fudd warms up before the game against the Indiana Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, on May 9, 2026. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
Despite the slow start to her first season in the league, Plum ended the year with All-Rookie team honors. In the years since, she’s been named to four All-Star teams and won two championships with the Aces.
The Wings’ decision to take Fudd with the No. 1 overall pick drew controversy, raising questions about whether Bueckers’ personal relationship with her influenced the selection. Late last month, Bueckers said last month it did not.
Azzi Fudd poses with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected first overall by the Dallas Wings during the 2026 WNBA Draft at The Shed in New York City on April 13, 2026. (Angelina Katsanis/Getty Images)
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“Azzi Fudd was the No. 1 draft pick because she earned it, and it had nothing to do with me and everything to do with who she is as a human being, who she is as a basketball player,” Bueckers said, according to ESPN.
Neither Bueckers nor Fudd has publicly updated their relationship status since the April draft.
“Quite frankly, I believe me and Azzi’s personal relationship is nobody’s business but our own,” Bueckers also said in April. “And what we choose to share is completely up to us.”
Next up, the Wings play their home opener on Tuesday when they host the Atlanta Dream.
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The Lakers are one playoff defeat from their season being over and from the conversation turning to LeBron James’ future.
They are in a hole no team has climbed out of in the history of the NBA, the Lakers’ 131-108 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3 putting L.A. down 3-0 in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series.
James and his teammates gave a gallant effort Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena, but the defending champion proved to be more than the Lakers could handle.
James finished his night with 19 points on seven-for-19 shooting, eight assists and six rebounds. Rui Hachimura had 21 points and Austin Reaves finished with 17 points and nine assists.
Even so, the Lakers have now lost all three games by double digits.
And the Lakers are fully aware that no NBA team has successfully come back from a 3-0 deficit in the playoffs, with those teams holding a 161-0 record. Only four teams have forced a Game 7 after trailing 3-0, all of which ultimately lost the series, including the Boston Celtics in 2023.
Lakers forward LeBron James shows frustration as Thunder center Chet Holmgren slam dunks during Game 3 on Saturday night.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Game 4 is Monday night, when the Lakers will try to stave off elimination and a night that will determine how the conversations go with James if they lose.
James has been frequently asked this season about retirement, but he has not given any indication of what the future holds for him.
He’s 41 years old and playing in an NBA-record 23rd season.
James is in the final year of his contract that pays him $52 million, making him a free agent this offseason. He can retire, join another team or perhaps return to the Lakers next season.
That will be the conversation if the Lakers can’t win Game 4.
They will see the same Thunder team that had seven players score in double figures, led by Ajay Mitchell’s 24 points and 10 assists and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 23 points and nine assists.
The Lakers went down 13 in the third quarter and had to play catchup the rest of the way. They never did, going down by 112-94 with 6 minutes and 12 seconds left, forcing Lakers coach JJ Redick to call a timeout.
The deficit just kept growing, topping out at 27 points in the fourth.
They were outscored 33-20 in the third quarter. The Lakers didn’t take care of the basketball in the third, turning it over six times, and they didn’t play good defense, allowing the Thunder to shoot 59.1% from the field and 55.6 percent from three-point range,
The Lakers did not give an inch to the Thunder in the first half, even when they fell behind by 10 points.
They just kept grinding until they led 59-57 at halftime.
Hachimura had 16 points in the first half, continuing his hot three-point shooting by making all four of his threes. Luke Kennard came off the bench to give the Lakers 13 points, shooting five for six from the field and three for four from three-point range.
The Lakers kept the pressure defense on Gilgeous-Alexander. Though he had 14 points in the first half, he shot only four for 14 from the field and one for five from three-point range.
The Lakers shot 55% from three-point range in the first half, which went a long way in helping them.
The Lakers lost the first two games by identical margins of 18 points and each loss was magnified because Gilgeous-Alexander was kept under wraps for the most part by L.A.’s defense.
When Gilgeous-Alexander picked up his fourth foul with 10:34 left in the third quarter of Game 2 and went to the bench, the Thunder turned a five-point lead into a 13-point advantage at the end of the quarter.
So, when he wasn’t on the court, the Lakers failed to take advantage.
“Well, you know, again, I’ll repeat what I said after the game: we’ve got to be better in the non-Shai minutes,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said.
Role players like Mitchell and Jared McCain hurt the Lakers in the second game. Chet Holmgren also was hard to deal with.
“Mitchell and McCain have hurt us in those non-Shai minutes, and then Chet [Holmgren] has hurt us the whole game,” Redick said. “I think you’ve got to be willing to live with something. Shai playing one-on-one, thus far in the series, we haven’t been willing to live with, so you’re going to be in rotation. That can lead to smalls on bigs at the hole, and the offensive rebounding from Chet has really hurt us.”
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In 2025, Alex Palou kicked off the Month of May with a Sonsio Grand Prix win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
Based on the odds, it’s likely that Palou will find himself in Winner’s Circle again this Saturday when INDYCAR goes back to IMS on May 9 (4:30 p.m. ET, FOX).
Considering Palou has already captured the checkered flag three times this season, are there any other drivers whose odds are worth a wager?
Here are the latest lines at DraftKings Sportsbook as of May 9.
This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.
Sonsio Grand Prix 2026
Àlex Palou: 5/18 (bet $10 to win $12.78 total)
Kyle Kirkwood: 5/1 (bet $10 to win $60 total)
Pato O’Ward: 12/1 (bet $10 to win $130 total)
David Malukas: 14/1 (bet $10 to win $150 total)
Josef Newgarden: 16/1 (bet $10 to win $170 total)
Scott McLaughlin: 20/1 (bet $10 to win $210 total)
Christian Lundgaard: 30/1 (bet $10 to win $310 total)
Scott Dixon: 40/1 (bet $10 to win $410 total)
Will Power: 60/1 (bet $10 to win $610 total)
Felix Rosenqvist: 80/1 (bet $10 to win $810 total)
Alexander Rossi: 100/1 (bet $10 to win $1,010 total)
Marcus Ericsson: 100/1 (bet $10 to win $1,010 total)
Marcus Armstrong: 100/1 (bet $10 to win $1,010 total)
Christian Rasmussen: 150/1 (bet $10 to win $1,510 total)
Graham Rahal: 150/1 (bet $10 to win $1,510 total)
Louis Foster: 300/1 (bet $10 to win $3,010 total)
Dennis Hauger: 500/1 (bet $10 to win $5,010 total)
Romain Grosjean: 500/1 (bet $10 to win $5,010 total)
Santino Ferrucci: 500/1 (bet $10 to win $5,010 total)
Rinus Veekay: 500/1 (bet $10 to win $5,010 total)
Kyffin Simpson: 500/1 (bet $10 to win $5,010 total)
Caio Collet: 1000/1 (bet $10 to win $10,010 total)
Sting Ray Robb: 1000/1 (bet $10 to win $10,010 total)
Nolan Siegel: 1000/1 (bet $10 to win $10,010 total)
Mick Schumacher: 1000/1 (bet $10 to win $10,010 total)
Here’s what to know about the oddsboard:
Heavy Favorite: It doesn’t look like Alex Palou’s dominance will be slowing down anytime soon. As noted above, he’s already won three of the five races since the INDYCAR season started in March. With 186 laps led, Palou sits first in the standings and has the shortest odds to win the title again. Last season, he started from the pole and led 29 laps before winning the race.
Long Shot to Watch: While his odds of 150/1 to win at IMS are much longer than Palou’s, Graham Rahal is one to watch. At this race in 2025, he started second and led 49 laps before finishing sixth. He finished second at this course in 2015, 2020 and 2023. He’s currently 10th in the INDYCAR standings, with one top five and three top 10s.
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